KR0129983Y1 - Image output apparatus, image output method, ink jet print method and printed product obtained with said method - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to an apparatus which performs printing by scanning a carriage having a plurality of printing heads installed in a set direction with respect to the printing medium, so that an image having a desired color tone and density is formed without reducing the throughput. The scanning range of the conversion data and the carriage for reproducing color tones varies depending on the head used among the installed heads. In addition, replaceability can be enhanced, and longer life is achieved for each group by grouping installed heads. In addition, the recording scan range and the recovery scan range can be converted by selecting a group to be used according to the recording mode.

Description

Image output device

The present invention relates to a color image output apparatus for outputting a color image to a printing medium by supplying image data, and in particular, a so-called serial scan type image output in the form of outputting an image while scanning a printing head along a predetermined direction with respect to the printing medium. Relates to a device.

A color image output device that outputs a color image on a printing medium with the supplied image data is printed in four colors of primary colors, that is, blue (C), magenta (M), and yellow (Y) and black (Bk). Printing is performed using materials (color toner, color ink) to make the basic three primary colors or black stand out.

In some cases, the image output apparatus also needs to use color printing materials other than the above C, M, Y, and Bk (hereinafter, referred to as special colors, for example, metallic or cobalt blue). This occurs when a color that cannot be represented or difficult to express with C, M, Y, or Bk must be expressed in the output image, or when the use of colorants such as ink or toner is to be reduced.

In particular, in the field of textile printing such as poster cloth or gravure printing, designers must express satisfactorily the design designed by the designer, and therefore, use a printing material having a specific color that cannot be expressed in C, M, Y, and Bk.

On the other hand, it is often necessary to increase the printing concentration or printing gradation.

In addition, some images may be printed using only a part of them without using all of the printing colors.

In this way, with the spread of the image output apparatus and the expansion of the application field, various demands on the image output apparatus are increasing. Therefore, there is a demand for the provision of the image output apparatus that satisfies these requirements without reducing the throughput. I'm craving.

For example, if you want to make high density textile printing depending on the ink jet system, the fabric printing ink already has a high color density, and this increase in concentration will lead to an increase in ink viscosity, which will cause problems in ink ejection. There is this. In addition, in order to increase the optical density by increasing the dot diameter, the size and weight of the ink port to be discharged may become uneven, resulting in misalignment of the firing position, resulting in streaks or unevenness or uniform density in the connecting portion of the image. Even though you can expect white streaks in part. Moreover, the apparatus which injects the same printing surface several times through the printing head in order to perform high concentration printing cannot inevitably reduce the printing speed.

A typical typical coloring method is a method of printing screen fabric using a silk screen board to print directly onto the fabric. Screen fabric printing is a method of preparing a silk screen board for each color used in the original image for printing the original image to be printed and transferring the ink directly onto the fabric through a silk mesh for coloring.

However, this screen fabric printing method requires a lot of processes and time for the manufacture of the screen board, and the work such as the formulation of the color ink required for printing, the arrangement of the screen board for each color ink, and the like. In addition, the larger the device size, the larger the number of collars used, the larger the equipment installation space, and the larger the storage space of the manufactured silk screen board.

On the other hand, the ink jet recording apparatus actually functions as a printer, copier or facsimile apparatus, and is used as an output unit of a complicated electronic apparatus or workstation including a computer or a word processor, and to solve such problems, As the recording apparatus, it is proposed to adopt an ink jet recording apparatus for color printing which discharges ink directly onto fabric.

In this way, there is no need to use any boards for screen fabric printing, which considerably shortens the time before the fabric is printed, and the size of the device is miniaturized. Naturally, printing image information can be stored in a medium such as a tape, floppy disk, or optical disk, and perfect storage and preservation capability can be obtained. In addition, changes in coloring, layout changes, and enlargement and reduction of the original image can be simplified.

In particular, an ink jet recording apparatus (recording head) capable of ejecting ink using thermal energy is formed on an electro-thermal converter, an electrode, a liquid passage wall, and a substrate through a semiconductor manufacturing process such as etching, vapor deposition, and sputtering. It is easy to manufacture to have a high concentration of liquid passage arrangement (discharge port or orifice arrangement) with a ceiling plate, so that more dense structure, high recording speed, and high image quality resolution can be obtained. It is expected to be one of the coloring methods.

Inks used in special ink jet printing methods, such as textile printing, are subject to much more stringent conditions than in the case of conventional ink jet recording, which is performed on recording media such as paper as follows.

Sufficient concentration for pigmentation.

-There should be no blockage of the ink discharge orifice or ink channel of the head.

-There should be no irregular stain on the fabric.

-No change in discharge characteristics despite long term use. In particular, there should be no foreign matter attached to the heater applying heat energy, and there should be no heater damage due to cavitation due to the disappearance of bubbles in the form of discharging ink using heat energy.

Inks satisfying the above conditions are described in Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 62-57750 and Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication No. 61-179269.

However, in the technical field, no ink jet printing method has been proposed which satisfies each of these performances to some extent and all at the same time.

In addition, as described later, new problems have arisen in the practical use of the ink jet printing method.

Among ink jet printing apparatuses, some serial apparatuses rely on a serial scanning system that scans in a direction transverse to a conveyance direction (sub-scan direction) of a recording medium. In this apparatus, printing an entire image onto a recording medium is performed by printing a line of images by means of a recording apparatus provided on a carriage that is movable in the scanning direction over the recording medium and recording the single line of images, and then sub-scanning direction. After the sheet is conveyed (pitch conveyed) by a predetermined amount, the operation of repeating the method of printing the image of the next row on the recording medium positioned is taken.

In order to actually use such an ink jet recording apparatus for color printing, the continuous pitch length (scan length) is much thinner than that of ordinary ink jet recording apparatus such as a printer due to manufacturing speed and end product requirements such as fabrics. For this reason, in the ink jet printing method in which ink is ejected from the head by using heat energy generated by the heat generating element of the head when the driving signal is applied, scanning must be performed over a longer distance at a time. The temperature of the head rises so that the viscosity of the ink fluctuates so that a stable discharge cannot be obtained during one scan, and eventually, the ink cannot be discharged uniformly.

In addition, by scanning a long distance at one time, the amount of ink streaks adhered on the head orifice surface becomes excessive to block the nozzle orifice and eventually to a discharge state (wet discharge state). In addition, even if the ink mist adhered around the nozzle head is wiped off with a lint or excess yarn on the fabric surface, the nozzle will be clogged and ink will not be discharged. In addition, the above-mentioned excess yarn itself gives an opportunity to contact or adhere to the nozzle opening again, thus blocking the nozzle opening, which also causes a problem of being discharged. This is especially noticeable when the printing length is long, in which ink is ejected by applying 5x10 ³ driving signals in one scan per at least one nozzle of the head.

Instead of the conventional textile printing method described above, if an image can be directly formed on the fabric by the ink jet recording apparatus described above, the manufacture of the screen can be omitted, and the processing steps and time required to form the image on the fabric. This shortens and the device becomes smaller. However, when the fabric is used as the recording medium, unlike the case of recording on paper, the coloring ability and the image density are lowered. Therefore, using only a reference color consisting of four colors (blue, magenta, yellow, and black) for full color recording on paper can cover a sufficient color reproduction range when printing should be performed on the fabric. none. Thus, a technique of using colors other than four reference colors as a special color and using the reference color ink has been proposed.

However, in order to use the special color ink in addition to the reference ink, the number of recording heads must be increased according to the type of ink used, and the number of head holders holding the recording heads must be large. As a result, even when a recording head for a special color is provided, when it is not used, it takes a long time to perform an important printing operation or recovery operation (washing and idle ejection) in the ink jet recording system, which causes a problem of lowering the recording speed later.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and forms an image by a plurality of printing heads each printing a corresponding color on a printing medium, a carriage on which the plurality of printing heads can be installed, and the plurality of printing heads. An image output apparatus comprising scanning means for scanning a carriage against a printing medium for harming, comprising: scanning for changing the scanning range of the scanning means in accordance with a printing head to be used for forming an image among the plurality of printing heads provided on the carriage. It is characterized by providing the image output apparatus of the above-mentioned form which also includes a range changing means.

In addition, the present invention includes a storage means for storing converted data indicative of a printing color and provided in correspondence with each of the plurality of printing heads, and conversion data changing means for changing the converted data stored in the storage means. It is characterized by providing an image output device of a form.

In addition, the present invention provides a long-term scanning range changing means and / or the conversion data changing means includes a printing collar corresponding to the printing head installed on the carriage, the number of printing heads installed, and the range and / or the conversion according to the installation position. It is characterized by providing an image output device of the above-described form for changing data.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an ink jet recording apparatus in which the recording speed of the ink jet recording apparatus does not decrease even if a special color recording head is provided.

The ink jet recording apparatus of the present invention uses a plurality of recording heads which form an image on a recording medium by ejecting ink, and the recording head is configured to form an image composed of several ink dots on the recording medium. Head mounting means for facing the recording medium scanned in the main scanning direction with respect to the head, and for mounting a plurality of recording heads, and among the plurality of recording heads provided on the head mounting means, a recording head to be used for recording in accordance with a recording mode. Selection means for selecting and operation control means for performing a predetermined operation only for the recording head selected by the selection means, wherein the selected recording head has the head mounting means continuously along the main scanning direction for each recording mode; Characterized in that arranged on.

Since a plurality of recording heads are provided in the head mounting means, the recording head to be used for recording is selected from among the plurality of recording heads according to the recording mode, and the recording heads selected according to the recording mode are continuously arranged, and good image recording is achieved. Wide color reproduction of ink jet recording is possible by selecting only the recording heads necessary and at a sufficient speed without defect. In addition, the unit structure of the electric image processing system prolongs the life of the recording heads, preventing access to the recording heads that are not used. This results in lower manufacturing costs and lower cost of the device itself. In addition, the recording head to be selected in accordance with the recording mode can be unified to facilitate the replacement of the head.

The term printing herein includes fabric printing, and broadly means a means for applying an image onto a printing medium such as cloth or paper.

In addition, examples of the printing medium include cloth, wallpaper, paper, OHP film and the like. In particular, the present invention is suitable for recording materials having low hygroscopicity such as cloth or wallpaper.

In the present invention, the fabric includes all kinds of woven or nonwoven fabrics regardless of the material or the method of weaving or knitting.

In addition, the wallpaper in the present invention includes a sheet that is glued for a wall made of paper, cloth, or a sheet of synthetic resin made of polyvinyl chloride.

1 is a side cross-sectional view of the mechanical configuration of the printer according to the present invention.

2 is a block diagram showing a structural example around a print head.

3 is a block diagram showing the electrical structure of the printer shown in FIG.

4 is a block diagram.

5 is an explanatory diagram showing a data flow passing through a part of the structure in the control board of FIG.

6 and 7 are block diagrams.

FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing the recovery means of the head shown in FIG.

9 is a diagram for explaining a moving range of a carriage in which a head is installed.

10 is a view for explaining a vertical carriage provided with another head.

11 is a flowchart showing the processing according to the head installed on the carriage.

Fig. 12 is a diagram for explaining the standard concentration of ink in each color versus the amount of ink emitted.

13 is an explanatory diagram when a head having a high concentration of color is installed on a carriage;

14 is a diagram for explaining the standard concentration of ink of each color with respect to the amount of ink emitted.

Fig. 15 is a diagram showing main parts of the ink jet printing apparatus according to the present invention.

FIG. 16 is a chart showing each ink, its sample printing results, and a comparative example in Example 3. FIG.

Fig. 17 is a perspective view showing the main portion of the ink jet recording apparatus according to the present invention.

18 is a front view showing an arrangement of recording heads.

19 is a diagram showing the structure of a drive system for the recording head.

FIG. 20 illustrates the cleaning range of a blade. FIG.

21A and 21B are views for explaining the moving range of the head holder.

22 shows the structure of a unit.

* Explanation of symbols for main parts of the drawings

11, '11': printing unit 13: ink jet head

24, 24 ': carriage 57: cleaning member

102: control board 506, 508: conversion controller

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention has been described in the case of a textile printing apparatus for printing on textiles, but can be embodied in various forms including a printer.

[First Embodiment]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a structural example of an ink jet printer as the fabric printing apparatus according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged perspective view of the main part thereof. The fabric printing device is largely provided with a fabric supply unit B for carrying fabric pretreated for roll printing, a main unit A for printing using an ink jet head while accurately conveying the transported fabric, and drying It consists of a winding unit C which winds up the post-printing fabric.

The main unit A also includes a precision supply unit A-1 and a printing unit A-2 for textiles including a platen.

The pretreated rolled fabric 3 is conveyed from the fabric supply unit and fed to the main unit A in stages.

The fabric 3 fed step by step is held in the first printing unit 11 with the printing surface held flat by the platen 12 on the rear side and printed by the ink jet head 13 on the front side. do. Once a row of printing has been completed, the fabric is transferred by a predetermined step and then dried by hot air from the surface of the heating plate 14 and the surface supplied / exhausted by the hot air conduit 15. Thereafter, in the second printing unit 11 ', the additional printing is performed in the same manner as the first printing unit.

The printed fabric is dried again by a subsequent drying unit 16 consisting of a heating plate and a heater (or hot air), guided by a guide roll 17 and wound by a winding roll 18. The wound fabric is then removed from the main apparatus and subjected to batch processing such as coloring, washing and drying to provide the final product.

In FIG. 2, the fabric 3 of the printing medium is fed stepwise upward as shown. The first printing unit 11 shown below in the figure has a first carriage for installing ink jet heads for Y, M, C, Bk and specific colors S ₁ to S ₄ , that is, a total of eight ink jet heads. Is provided. In this embodiment, the ink jet head (print head) uses an element that generates thermal energy to cause film boiling in the ink, such as energy used at the time of ink ejection. Each head has 256 discharge orifices arranged at a density of 4000 dots per inch (DPI).

The downstream side of the first printing unit is provided with a heating plate 14 for heating from the back side and a hot air conduit 15 for drying from the front side. The heat transfer surface of the heating plate 14 provides strong heating from the back side with high temperature and high pressure steam passing through the inner hollow portion. On the inner side of the heating plate, heat collecting fins 14 'are provided to concentrate heat on the back side of the fabric 3. The opposite side of the fabric 3 of the heating plate is covered with insulating material 26 to prevent heat loss due to heat radiation.

On the front side, the drying effect is further enhanced by blowing dry hot air from the supply conduit 27 arranged downstream to apply low humidity air to the fabric to be dried. Then, the air containing sufficient moisture and moving in the direction opposite to the fabric conveying direction is sucked through the suction conduit 28 disposed on the upstream side slightly more than the blowing amount so that the evaporated water is again buried or wetted with machine parts. Is prevented. The hot air source is provided at the rear side of FIG. 2, the suction is performed from the front side, and the pressure difference between the suction opening 29 and the suction opening 30 disposed on both sides of the fabric is uniform over the entire area in the longitudinal direction. Become. The air intake / suction unit is biased downstream with respect to the center of the heating plate provided on the rear side so that the air is directed to a sufficiently heated portion. Therefore, the first printing unit 11 can strongly dry a certain amount of moisture contained in the ink including the remaining amount absorbed in the fabric.

On the downstream side (upper side), a second printing unit 11 'composed of a second carriage 24' having the same structure as the first carriage is provided. The first carriage 24 and the second carriage 24 'are previously integrated or connected via a suitable connecting member, and a drive source and a transmission gear for driving them can be used conventionally.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 2, an ink supply unit for accommodating ink and supplying a predetermined amount of ink to the head is provided, which includes an ink tank and an ink pump. The main body and the head are connected via an ink supply tube or the like so that the same amount of ink normally discharged from the head is automatically supplied by capillary action. In addition, during the head recovery operation, ink is intermittently supplied to the head by the ink pump. Then, the head and the ink supply unit are provided separately and installed on the carriage reciprocating in the direction indicated by the arrow in FIG. 2 by a drive unit (not shown).

In addition, a head recovery unit (not shown in FIG. 2) is provided at the position opposite the head in the original position (standby position) to perform the operation as described later. That is, the head is restrained (capped) in its original position (standby position) to prevent evaporation of ink from inside the nozzle of the head 9 when not in operation (during the capping operation). Otherwise, an operation of intermittently discharging ink through the nozzle (pressure recovery operation) or an operation of intermittently sucking and discharging ink through the nozzle by applying pressure on the ink flow channel in the nozzle before starting image recording The discharged ink is sucked out (suction recovery operation).

The structure of the control system of this apparatus will be described below. 3 and 4 show the structure of the ink jet printer of this embodiment and a structural example of its operation unit, respectively. FIGS. 5 and 7 show scanning range changing means shown in FIG. 3 in accordance with the flow of data. And the internal structure of the control board 102 functioning as conversion data changing means.

Color palette data for determining the blending ratio of Y, M, C or special colors, as well as image data for printing, are described in Japanese Patent Application No. The same control board 102 is sent from the host computer via an interface (here called GPIB).

The apparatus for sending image data is not particularly limited, but the conveyance form can be in off-line form via a network or a magnetic tape. The control board 102 controls the entire apparatus, and has a RAM 102B in which the CPU 102A and various programs are stored, and a RAM having various register zones and working zones and parts shown in FIGS. 5 to 7 and other figures. 102C. 103 is an operation / display unit having a display panel for displaying a message to the operator and an operator side working panel to give a suitable instruction to the printer P. FIG. 104 is a fabric supply apparatus having a motor for conveying a printing medium such as fabric. 105 is a drive unit input / output unit for driving various motors (indicated by M) and various solenoids shown in FIG. 107 is a relay board for receiving and supplying information related to each head (for example, pressure or presence of the head or a color provided by the head) to the control board 102 and supplying a driving signal to each head. This information is sent to the host computer H to request delivery of color palette data for the color to be used and is used to confirm the range of mounting the heads on the carriages 24 and 24 'and to set the scan range. 111 is a drive unit as scanning means such as a motor for the carriages 24 and 24 'to perform scanning.

Now, image data to be printed is received from the main computer H, and the image data is stored in the image memory 505 via the GPIB interface 501 and the frame memory controller 504 (FIG. 5). The image memory of this embodiment has a capacity of 124 Mbytes, and the A1 size data is composed of 8-bit palette data. In other words, one pixel is composed of 8 bits. 503 is a DMA controller for accelerating memory transfer. After the transmission from the master computer H is finished, printing can be started through a predetermined processing procedure.

In this embodiment, the main computer connected to the printer delivers the image data as the main image. Each print head has a plurality of ink ejection nozzles in the longitudinal direction, so that the arrangement of the image data is converted to be combined with the print head. The conversion of this data is converted by the raster BJ conversion controller 506. The raster ⓐ BJ conversion data is supplied through an enlargement structure of a later magnification controller 507 to variably magnify the image data going to the palette conversion controller 508. Data prior to passing through the magnification controller 507 is transferred from the host computer and consists of an 8-bit palette signal in this embodiment. The pallet data is then passed to a processor for each printing head (to be described later) and processed therein.

The printing heads of yellow, magenta, blue, black and special colors S ₁ to S _{4 are} shown in FIGS.

The palette conversion controller 508 now supplies palette data and supplies palette data and conversion table corresponding to the color input from the main computer H to the conversion table memory 509 as storage means.

In an 8-bit palette, the number of reproducible color shapes is 256, i.e. from 0 to 255, and a suitable table extends into the table memory 509 corresponding to each color.

The number of reproducible color shapes from 0 to 255 in the 8-bit palette is 256, and is processed as described below.

Print light gray when input is 0

Print in bold with special color 1 when input is 1

Dark print with special color 2 when input is 2

When input is 3, print with a blue-based color consisting of a mixture of blue and magenta

Dark blue printing when input is 4

When input is 5, print with reddish color consisting of a mixture of magenta and yellow

Bold in yellow when input is 254

Stop printing when the input is 255

In the special circuit structure, the pallet conversion table memory 509 performs its function with conversion data written at an address position for pallet data. That is, when pallet data is supplied according to the address, access to the memory is made in the read mode. The pallet conversion controller 508 performs management of the pallet conversion table memory 509 and performs an interface between the control board 102 and the pallet conversion table memory 509. In addition, a circuit for setting the amount of special colors to mix with respect to the special color (a circuit that adds output by 0 to 1 times) is inserted therebetween, and the HS system of the next step includes the HS controller 510 and the HS conversion table memory. 511, and its set amount is variable.

The HS conversion controller 510 and the HS conversion table memory 511 determine the printing density corresponding to each discharge orifice of each head based on the data measured by the head characteristic measuring instrument 108 including an appropriate concentration nonuniformity correction unit. Correct the variance. For example, data conversion is performed in such a way that deeper (low discharge) discharge orifices are made thicker, thinner (high discharge) discharge orifices are made thinner, and data conversion is not performed for medium orifices. This processing will be described later.

The γ-conversion controller 512 and γ-conversion table memory 513 provided later are used for the table conversion to darken or lighten the overall density of each color. For example, as a linear table,

If input is 0 then output is 0

If the input is 100, the output is 100

If the input is 210, the output is 210

If the input is 255, the output is 255.

The binarization controller 514 in the next step has a pseudo gradation function, where it inputs 8-bit gradation data and outputs 1-bit binary pseudo gradation data. The conversion of the multivalued data into binary data is performed according to the diet matrix or the error diffusion method in this embodiment, and in any case, other methods are not possible as long as they can be reproduced by the number of dots per unit area. Can also be adopted.

The binary data is thus stored in the buffer memory 515 and used as driving data for each printing head. The binary data output from each buffer memory is in the form of C, M, Y, Bk and S ₁ to S ₄ . When the binary signal for each color undergoes similar processing, the binary data C is shown and described in FIG. The same figure shows the print color blue but the same structure applies to each color. FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing the circuit structure along the buffer memory 515 as shown in FIGS.

The binary signal is output to a continuous multiple scan generator 522 (hereinafter referred to as an SMS generator), but test printing for a single device may be performed by the pattern generators 517 and 518. This switching is of course controlled by the CPU of the control board 102 such that the data from the binary pattern controller 517 is selected to perform a test print when performing a predetermined operation on the operation unit 103 (FIG. 3). Thus, data from the binary controller 514 (buffer memory 516) is usually selected. 520 is a logo input portion inserted between the selector 519 and the SMS generator 522, for the purpose of printing the fabric is a logo mark, such as a marker or the cover of the designer is usually attached to the end of the fabric. The structure includes, for example, a controller for controlling the printing position and a memory for logo data.

The SMS generator 522 prevents the density unevenness of the image by changing the discharge amount going to each nozzle. For example, Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 4-79858 describes multiple injections. Image quality is proportionally performed by ejecting ink through multiple scans or through a plurality of ejection orifices per pixel, and high speeds are obtained without performing such a multi-scan, such a design being for example the operation / display unit 103 or It is carried out by a suitable input device via the host computer H.

The buffer memory 524 corrects the arrangement of the physical position of the head, i.e., between the upper and lower printing units or the respective heads in FIG. Therefore, the buffer memory 524 has a different capacity for each printing color.

After processing the data as described above, the data is sent via the head relay board 107.

The main part of this embodiment described together with the above configuration will be described below with reference to FIGS. 8 to 11.

FIG. 8 shows so-called recovery means for carrying out a processing procedure for making better discharge conditions for the heads shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. The capping member 51 functions to cover the discharge surface of the head with the capping member 51 in a non-printing or standby state (hereinafter referred to as capping) to prevent the discharge surface of the head from drying out. Further, dark ink remaining in the discharge orifice of the head is discharged into the idle discharge box 53, and the carriage 24 or 24 'is continuously discharged from the S ₄ head to the C head while moving along the shaft 55. . The cleaning member 57 is a porous member or elastic member attached to the discharge surface of the head to remove foreign substances, and is coupled to the discharge surface of the head continuously from the S ₄ head to the C head during the movement of the carriages 24 and 24 '. Wash it out.

In textile printing, in addition to the four main colors of the printing base colors blue, magenta, yellow and black, colors which are difficult to reproduce by mixing them are added in the form of special colors. For example, bright cobalt blue, gold or silver. These colors are added as special colors as required by the design originality, whereby the special colors change with the printing design every time they are printed. However, as long as four special collars are provided, the device can handle all designs, so in this embodiment four zones for installing a special collar head are set.

In Figure 9 (i), four heads are added for the special color in addition to the basic printing color, and the carriage moving range required to perform the ejection operation with the idle discharge box, and (ii) in Figure 9 uses the special color. Instead, it displays the carriage movement range when two blue heads are installed. As can be seen from this figure, in high speed printing, it is better to switch the carriage distance by checking the number of heads and the installation range, where the moving distance L1 is required when eight heads are installed, and L2 is five heads. Is required if it is installed.

Of course, this is applicable not only to the idle discharge actuator but also to the washing operation and the printing operation.

In addition, at the time of fabric printing, the ink used is necessary to change the shape of the design depending on the use after the fabric treatment.

In the case of textile printing of bathing suits or ski suits, a very high concentration of printing is required. In this case, the additional printing is performed by scanning the same printing surface multiple times to increase the concentration, but the printing speed is lowered. Thus, in the case of FIG. 9, the head mounting area for specifying the collar on the carriage is used to install a plurality of heads corresponding to the dark printing collar.

In this case, the image processing system shown in Figs. 5 to 7 operates as follows.

That is, in the palette conversion table 508 of FIG. 6, the C conversion table is left as is, the M conversion table is replaced with the C conversion table, the Y conversion table is replaced with the M conversion table, and the Bk conversion table is replaced with the Y conversion table. Replace the S ₁ conversion table with the K conversion table. Further, the S ₂ to S ₄ conversion tables are set to zero to suppress the output. In addition, the HS conversion table and the gamma conversion table of the next step are also replaced.

By the above processing, the binary output 516 shown in FIG. 6 becomes C, C, M, Y and Bk. Here, when only blue is doubled in concentration and it is necessary to lower the concentration slightly further, it is necessary to slightly decrease the inclination of the gamma conversion table for blue to reduce the concentration to a desired degree.

In this way, it is possible to improve the density of the collar by arranging the head of the collar, which requires a high concentration in the special collar zone. In this embodiment, the order of the printing heads and the mixing of the colors are not changed, and the color tone of the colors is not changed. FIG. 10 shows the case where two magenta heads are installed on the upper carriage and two special collar heads are installed on the lower carriage. The table for an image processing system can be changed as appropriate even if another head is provided on the upper and lower carriages.

FIG. 11 shows an example of a processing step for setting the contents of the conversion table and an scanning range according to the head provided on the carriage.

First, in step S ₁ , the head, which is installed on the carriage, has its number, number and head installation ranges checked. For example, the means for confirming the number or range of installed heads measures the interline impedance of the heads in the signal line between the relay board and the head of FIG. 3 and places them at the head mounting position on the carriage or confirmation via the CPU 102A. It is used to make a decision through the on / off operation of the switch. The invention described in Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. Hei 2-187343 can be applied to the case where the printing head of the printer has its own information (pattern cutting) and means which can be confirmed on the printer main body side. The means for displaying this information may depend on the use of EPROM or DIP switches. For the purposes of this embodiment, the information may be an ink color to be used for the print head, whereby the color, number and range are identified by the printer reading the information. The operator can also input the information using the operation / display unit 103.

With this result confirmed, the control board 102 expands the conversion data into the conversion tables 509, 511, and 513 in response thereto. In addition, the idle discharge, washing, and printing data are set according to the number and range of the installed heads (step S5).

The present invention can be used in all cases where all or part of the printing head can be detached from the carriage or in all cases where all the heads are fixed without considering separation. It will be appreciated that in order to enable the setting of the scanning range based only on the information on the number of heads, in the case of the detachable type, it should be arranged so as not to form a gap in the head mounting portion on the carriage. In addition, if all the heads are fixed or only a part of the installed head is used for printing, information on the used heads is input or confirmed by a main computer which can analyze the color of the window and set the scan range accordingly.

Second Embodiment

The second embodiment will be described in particular with respect to the printing concentration improvement. This embodiment can adopt the same apparatus and treatment process as adopted in the first embodiment, but this embodiment is particularly suitable for obtaining the desired printing concentration when printing on fabrics.

12 shows the relationship between the ink emission amount and the color density. In this figure, the abscissa axis shows the amount of ink shot and the maximum shot amount per unit area is 100. The vertical axis represents the appropriate value of the color concentration observed with the naked eye, expressed as a K / S value (B is the absorption coefficient, S is the dispersion coefficient).

K / S = (1-R) ² / 2R

It is a function of the reflectance R of the colored product of the fabric undergoing the post-printing coloring process and washing process, denoted as.

In this figure, the value is normalized by defining the maximum value of blue as 100, and the larger the value, the higher the concentration. The same figure also shows the characteristics of five colors including standard colors of yellow, magenta, blue and black and special color blue.

As can be seen from this figure, the concentration of black and special color blue is about half of yellow, magenta and blue with the same amount of shot.

However, in bathing suits and ski suits, higher concentrations are often required in textile printing. In this case, if you need to use black or special color blue, which is difficult to obtain the density as designed, you can increase the dye density of these colors, adjust the size of the ink droplets, or improve the density by scanning the same printing surface several times. In many cases, low quality printing due to the generation of streaks or low speed printing occurs.

Thus, in this embodiment, if two heads for black and blue are required, a plurality of high concentration heads are provided in the head mounting area on the carriage as shown in FIG.

In this case, in the image processing system as shown in Figs. 5 and 7, the following measurement can be performed. That is, in the palette conversion table 508 of FIG. 6, the conversion tables for C, M, Y, and Bk are left as they are, the S ₁ conversion table is replaced with the Bk conversion table, and the S ₂ and S ₃ conversion tables are BL (blue). Replaced with the conversion table. And the S ₄ conversion table is set to zero to suppress the output. After the next step, the HS conversion table and the? Conversion table are similarly replaced.

By the above processing, the binary output 516 of FIG. 6 becomes C, M, Y, and Bk. Here, when only black and blue have twice the concentration, and it is desired to slightly decrease the concentration, the inclination of the black blue γ conversion table needs to be reduced only slightly to the extent that the concentration can be preferably reduced. .

FIG. 14 shows the concentration when two heads for black and blue are installed in comparison with FIG. Black and blue can be reproduced at the same density as the other three colors.

In this way, by arranging the head of the collar to be high concentration on the special collar zone, the density of the collar can be improved. In this embodiment, the order of the printing heads and the combination of colors are not changed, and there is no change in color shade.

In this embodiment, as in the first embodiment, the contents of the conversion table can be set according to the head installed on the carriage using the processing shown in FIG.

First, in step S1, the head installed on the carriage is checked with respect to the collar, the number, and the installation range of the mounted head. Based on this confirmed result, the control board 102 issues an instruction to the main computer H, and expands the conversion data sent in response to the conversion tables 509, 511, and 513 (step S3). Furthermore, if the scanning range is set to the idle discharge, washing and printing zone range according to the number and range of the heads installed as shown in Figs. 9 and 10, the processing of step S5 is executed, otherwise the processing of step S5. Is deleted or omitted.

Although this embodiment has been described in the case where two heads, black and blue, are provided to achieve a desired density, a suitable number of heads of appropriate colors can be installed depending on the design, density, and even the proper setting of the image processing system. have.

As described above, according to the present invention, a proper number of heads for ink of appropriate color shades can be provided, and the color shades can be reproduced according to the color shades of the installed heads by rewriting the table contents for conversion data expansion, or scanning range, In other words, the start position and the stop position are switched in the printing area, the idle discharge area or the washing area according to the number and range of the installed heads, so that it is possible to flexibly cope with the change of the color tone used, and thus to efficiently process or concentrate the printing in the area. To improve throughput.

While the present invention has been described with respect to the first and second embodiments of embodying the textile printing apparatus of the ink jet recording system, it should be understood that the invention is not limited to the ink jet printing system and can be used for various printing systems. . In particular, when using an ink jet printing system, the present invention provides a system having a means for generating heating energy used for causing a change of state of ink by ejection of ink or thermal energy in various ink jet systems (for example, electric-heat It is particularly suitable for printing heads or printing devices of a converter or laser beam). With this system, high concentrations and high precision printing are possible.

As for the representative structures thereof, those implemented using the basic principles described in, for example, US Pat. Nos. 4,723,129 and 4,740,796 are suitable. Such a system can be applied to both so-called on-demand or continuous. In particular, in the case of the on-demand type, heat is applied by applying at least one driving signal exceeding the nuclear boiling corresponding to the recording information on the sheet holding the liquid (ink) or the electro-thermal converter disposed corresponding to the liquid channel. Energy is generated in the electro-thermal converter so as to cause film boiling at the thermally acting surface of the recording head, and eventually one bubble is generated in the liquid (ink) corresponding to each drive signal. At least one droplet is formed by discharging the liquid (ink) through the discharge opening as the bubble grows and contracts. By making the drive signal into a pulse waveform, the growth and contraction of bubbles are appropriately instantaneously generated, so that the ejection of a liquid (ink) having particularly excellent response characteristics can be performed more appropriately. In the case where the drive signal is pulsed, it is preferable that the driving signal is a type described in US Pat. Nos. 4,463,359 and 4,345,262. By adopting the conditions described in US Patent No. 4,313,124 of the present invention regarding the rate of temperature rise of the thermally acting surface described above, better recording can be performed.

In addition to the discharge orifices, liquid channels, and electro-thermal converters (linear liquid channels or right angle liquid channels) described in each of the above-mentioned specifications, the United States of America describes a configuration having a thermally acting portion disposed at the joint site for the configuration of the recording head. Configurations using patents 4,558,333 or 4,459,600 are also within the scope of the present invention. In addition, the present invention is directed to the configuration or discharge portion described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 59-123670 using one slit common to a plurality of electro-thermal converters, such as the discharge portion of the electric-heat converter. It is effective also as the structure of Unexamined-Japanese-Patent No. 59-138461 explaining the structure which has an opening which absorbs the pressure wave of a corresponding thermal energy. That is, according to the present invention, the printing can be performed reliably and efficiently in whatever form the printing head is made.

In addition, among the various types of serial printing heads described above, the present invention is a printing head fixed to the main device, an electrical connection to the main device, or a chip free exchange type installed in the main device to enable supply of ink from the main device. It is effective for a cartridge type printing head having an ink tank provided integrally with the printing head or the printing head itself.

In addition to the recording head recovery means, the provision of the auxiliary auxiliary means having the configuration of the recording apparatus of the present invention is more preferable because the effect of the present invention can be further enhanced. These specific examples are for capturing heads, cleaning means, pressurized or suction means, electro-thermal transducers or other forms of heating means, preheating means according to a combination thereof, and preliminary discharges which are performed separately from printing. It may also include a discharge means.

In addition, as described above, the liquid is considered to be ink in the embodiments of the present invention, but it is solid at room temperature and softened or liquefied at room temperature or above room temperature, or stable discharge by adjusting the ink temperature within the range of 30 ° C to 70 ° C. It is also possible to use other inks that liquefy when the usage printing signal is generated, such as in an ink jet apparatus, to adjust to maintain the ink viscosity within the range possible. In addition, by using thermal energy as energy to phase change from a solid phase to a liquid phase, an ink that is hardened into a continental shelf shape and liquefied by heating to stably avoid a temperature rise due to thermal energy and prevents the evaporation of the ink may be used. In any case, the use of an ink having a property of applying liquid heat only when it is liquefied by applying heat energy in accordance with a printing signal so that liquid ink is discharged or already solidified upon reaching the printing medium is liquefied. Applicable In this case, the ink is in a liquid or solid state in the grooves or through holes of the porous sheet disposed opposite to the electro-thermal converter as described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 54-56847 or 60-71260. Can be maintained. The most effective method for inks as described above in the present invention is based on the film boiling principle.

The present invention can also be applied to the form of an image output terminal for use in an information processing device such as a computer, a copier combined with a reader, or a facsimile transmission device having a transmission and reception function.

Example 3

A preferred embodiment of the ink jet printing method will be described below in which a stable ejection is performed without causing an unejection during ink jet printing with a long printing length to provide a good coloring without defect in an image.

The ink used in this invention consists of a coloring agent, water, an organic solvent, and an additive.

The colorant is preferably a dye and must be colorable on the printing medium. Examples include acid dyes, direct dyes, cationic dyes, disperse dyes, bat dyes and soluble bat dyes. One or more of these dyes are contained in the ink and may be used together with dyes of different shades, the amount of which is suitably used in the range of 3.5 to 30 parts by weight of the total amount of ink, and especially black, to obtain sufficient coloring on the printing medium. The ink is 5 parts by weight to 20 parts by weight.

The amount of water suitable as the main component of the ink is preferably 10 to 93 parts by weight, suitably 25 to 87 parts by weight, more preferably 30 to 80 parts by weight of the total ink.

Examples of the organic solvent include, for example, ketones and ketone alcohols such as acetone and diacetone alcohol; Ethers such as tetrahydrofuran and dioxane; Oxyethylene and oxypropylene addition polymers such as diethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, triethylene glycol, tetraethylene glycol, dipropylene glycol, tripropylene glycol, polyethylene glycol and polypropylene glycol; Alkylene glycols having two to six carbon atoms such as ethylene glycol, propylene glycol, trimethylene glycol, butylene glycol, 1,2,6-hexanetriol, and hexylene glycol; Lower alkyl ethers of polyhydric alcohols such as thiodiglycol, glycerin, ethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, diethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether, and triethylene glycol monomethyl (or ethyl) ether; Polyhydric alcohol lower dialkyl ethers such as triethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether and tetraethylene glycol dimethyl (or ethyl) ether; Sulfolane, N-methyl-2-hyprolidone, and 1,3-dimethyl-2-imidazolidinone.

The content of the water-soluble organic solvent is usually 2 to 50 parts by weight of the total weight of the ink, and suitably 5 to 50 parts by weight.

The above-mentioned media can be used individually and in combination, The composition of the most suitable liquid medium is a solvent containing at least 1 type of polyhydric alcohol. In particular, thioglycol, diethylene glycol or a mixture of diethylene glycol and thioglycol are very suitable.

Various known materials, such as a dispersing agent, surfactant, a viscosity modifier, a surface tension regulator, and a fluorescent brightener, can be added as needed, but the main component of the ink used by this invention is as follows.

Examples include viscosity modifiers such as polyvinyl alcohol and cellulose and water-soluble resins, cationic or nonionic surfactants, surface tension modifiers such as diethanolamine and triethanolamine, pH adjusters with buffers, and antifungal agents.

Of particular importance in ink jet printing is that the ink viscosity is controlled in the range of 1.5 cP to 4 cP, suitably 2.0 cP to 3.8 cP, and the surface tension is 35 dyn / cm to 65 dyn / cm, suitably 35 dyn / cm to 62 dyn It is adjusted in the range of / cm. In this range, the object of the present invention is achieved.

That is, in order to perform the inkjet printing method with a long printing length, like the inkjet printing method of the present invention, the ink material must be controlled under more stringent conditions than the ink used in the conventional recording.

When the viscosity of the ink used in the ink jet printing method of the present invention exceeds 4 cP, the unloading may increase rapidly or the stable discharge may not be achieved due to the viscosity increase by heating. When the viscosity is lowered to 1.5 cP or less, the staining increases or the discharge becomes unstable (satellite appearance).

Even if the viscosity of the ink is within the range of this embodiment, the bleeding length (length of blanking on the fabric) extends over tens of centimeters upon bleeding, and the surface tension is 35 dyn / cm or less. That is, recovery of fire discharge is not allowed smoothly.

If there is one fire discharge that extends over several tens of centimeters, the fabric is unusable and undesirable.

Conversely, if the surface tension exceeds 65 dyn / cm, the frequency response is reduced, resulting in unstable discharge.

As mentioned above, the effect of the present invention in an ink jet printing method having a long printing length can be obtained by keeping both the viscosity and the surface tension within the scope of the present invention, and if any one of them is outside this range The effect of the present invention cannot be achieved.

The viscosity and surface tension of the ink used in the present invention can be easily adjusted by those skilled in the art by selecting a suitable combination of types and amounts of dyes and organic solvents used or adding various kinds of additives. have.

The printing medium used in the present invention is preferably cloth, and the material for making the cloth is not particularly limited, but for example, natural fiber, recycled fiber, semisynthetic fiber, and cotton, silk, nylon, polyester, rayon And synthetic fibers such as acetates.

It is desirable to give the fabric a conventional pretreatment in order to obtain a better color. In particular, the fabric contains 0.01 to 5 parts by weight of alkali material when using an ink containing a reactive dye, or in general, the cloth is water soluble metal salt, water soluble polymer, urea and thio in view of preventing lint or stain. From 0.01 to 20 parts by weight of material selected from the group containing urea.

Examples of alkaline materials include alkali metal hydroxides such as sodium hydroxide and potassium hydroxide, amines such as monoethanolamine, diethanolamine, or triethanolamine, and alkali metal carbonates or hydrogen carbonates such as sodium carbonate, potassium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate . In addition, these include organic acid metal salts such as calcium acetate and barium acetate, ammonia and ammonium compounds. In addition, sodium trichloroacetate, which becomes an alkaline substance under steam and drying, may also be used. Particularly preferred alkali materials include sodium carbonate and sodium bicarbonate, which are used for coloring reactive dyes.

Examples of water soluble polymers include starch materials such as corn and wheat flour, carboxymethyl cellulose, cellulose materials such as methyl cellulose and hydroxyethyl cellulose, sodium alginate, gum arabic, locust bean rubber, tragasant rubber, guar rubber and Polysaccharides such as tararin fruit, protein materials such as gelatin and casein, and natural water-soluble polymers such as tannin-type and lignin-type materials.

Examples of synthetic polymers also include polyvinyl alcohol compounds, polyethylene oxide compounds, acrylic acid water soluble polymers, and maleic anhydride water soluble polymers. Among these, polysaccharide polymers and cellulose polymers are preferable.

Examples of water soluble metal salts are compounds having a pH of 4 to 10 and producing typical ionic crystals such as halogen compounds of alkali and alkaline earth metals.

Representative examples of such composites are alkali metals such as NaCl, Na ₂ SO ₄ , KCl and CH ₃ COONa, and alkaline earth metals such as CaCl ₂ and MgCl ₂ . Among these, salts of Na, K and Ca are preferred.

Next, the apparatus used for the ink jet printing method of the present invention using the above-described ink will be described as an example.

This apparatus largely performs printing on a fabric based on a reading unit for reading out an initial image created by a designer, an image processing unit for inputting and processing the read initial image data, and an image data generated by the image processing unit. It consists of the image printing unit.

The image reading unit reads out an initial image with a CCD image sensor for outputting an electrical signal to the image processing unit. The image processing unit generates data for driving the ink jet printing unit for discharging four colors of magenta, blue, yellow and black as described later from the input initial data. The generation data includes image processing for reproducing the initial image with ink dots, coloring for determining color tones, changing the layout, and adjusting / selecting a design size such as enlargement or reduction.

Fig. 15 is a perspective view showing an image recording unit as an example of the ink jet printing apparatus used in the present invention.

First, the ink jet printing unit 1501 includes a frame 1506, two guide rails 1507 and 1508, an ink jet head 1509, a carriage 1510, and an ink supply device 1511 for moving the ink jet head 1509. And a carriage 1512, a head recovery device 1513, and an electrical system 1505 for moving it. An ink jet head 1509 (hereinafter simply referred to as a head) includes a plurality of rows of ejection orifices and a converter for converting an electrical signal into ink ejection energy, and the ejection orifices of the ejection orifices (not shown) and in accordance with image signals A mechanism is provided for selectively discharging ink through heat.

The head may be a print head which discharges ink using thermal energy, which is preferably a head including an electric-heat converter (heat generating element) for generating thermal energy supplied to the ink, whereby electrical The thermal energy applied by the heat converter causes a phase change in the ink, and the ink is discharged through the discharge orifice based on this phase change.

The ink supply device 1511 stores ink and supplies ink to the head in an amount required. The ink supply device 1511 includes an ink tank and an ink pump (not shown). The main device and the head 1509 are connected via an ink supply pipe 1515 so that ink is automatically supplied to the head 1509 by the amount ejected from the head by capillary action. In the head recovery operation described later, ink is forcibly supplied to the head 1509 using an ink pump.

The head 1509 and the ink supply device 1511 are mounted on the carriage 1512 with a carriage 1510 for reciprocating along the guide rails 1507 and 1508 by a driving device not shown.

The head recovery device 1513 is provided at a position opposite to the head 1509 at the home position (standby position) of the head 1509 to maintain ink ejection stability of the head, and in particular, performs an operation as described below. To move forward and backward in the direction of arrow A.

First, in non-operation, the head recovery device 1513 covers the head in its home position to prevent ink from evaporating inside the nozzle of the head 1509 (capping operation). Also, an operation of forcibly ejecting ink through the nozzle by forcing an ink flow channel in the head using an ink pump to remove air bubbles or dust inside the nozzle before starting image recording, or forcing ink through the nozzle Performs a function of recovering the ink to be ejected in performing suction and ejection operations (suction recovery operation).

The electric system 1505 includes a power supply unit and a drive control unit for performing sequential control of the entire ink jet recording unit. The fabric 1516 has a predetermined distance in the sub-scanning direction (or arrow B direction) by an unshown transport device whenever the head 1509 records the predetermined length by moving in the main scanning direction along the guide rail 1507. Conveyed, thereby achieving the formation of an image. In the figure, an oblique portion 1517 represents a recording portion.

The recording head 1509 may be an ink jet recording head for monochromatic printing, a plurality of recording heads for color recording with ink of different colors, or a plurality of recording heads for gradation recording of the same color having different densities. have.

The apparatus also applies not only to the cartridge type in which the recording head and the ink tank are integrated, but also to other forms in which the recording head and the ink tank are separately provided and connected through the ink supply pipe regardless of the configuration of the recording means and the ink tank. It is possible.

In the method of ejecting ink using the thermal energy used in the present invention, recording can be performed more densely and precisely.

In this method, the inked fabric is heat treated to attach the dye to the fabric. The heat treatment is conventionally known methods, e.g. steam method, HT steam method, or heat fixation method, and alkaline pad steam method, unless an alkali solvent is used for pretreatment if the alkali solvent is required for fixation. It may be one of an alkali bleach steam method and an alkali shock method.

In addition, a colored product can be obtained by washing the fabric subjected to the treatment and removing the unreacted dye by a conventionally known method.

The printing method of the present invention is applicable to office or personal use, and is particularly suitable for industrial use except for office work, that is, in industrial practice.

The resulting coloring is then cut to the desired size, and the cut pieces are then finished into products such as ties or handkerchiefs through a process to prepare the final product, such as stitching, bonding and welding.

Next, a specific ink composition will be given below using some examples and comparative examples. Here, parts and percentages in the specification are reference values with respect to weight.

Inks A to D are examples of the present invention, and Inks E to H are comparative examples.

1. Ink Preparation

The following ingredients were mixed and the mixed solution was adjusted to pH 8.4 with sodium hydroxide, followed by stirring for two hours, followed by Floropore filter FP-100 (trademark of Sumitomo Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd.) Filtration through gave water-color inks A to H as shown below.

The viscosity and surface tension of each ink will be described later using the table shown in FIG.

In addition, the following components were mixed, the mixed solution was adjusted to pH 8.4 with acetic acid, stirred for two hours, and then filtered through a Florophore filter FP-100 (trade name manufactured by Sumitomo Denki Kogyo Co., Ltd.). The water-color ink I and J as shown next were obtained.

Using the ink, recording was performed with the apparatus shown in FIG. 15 under the following recording conditions (apparatus a).

Further, under the same recording conditions as above, recording was performed with the apparatus b having a printing length of 310 mm shorter than the apparatus a.

Two types of fabrics were used for printing. Fabric a was dipped in 10% sodium hydroxide solution and then dried. Fabric b was dipped in 15% urea solution and then dried.

Fabric a: flat sheeting (100% cotton)

Fabric b: Habatae (8% silk) of 8 momens

Solid recordings were carried out in 30 consecutive scans using each of the inks A to J on fabrics a and b using apparatuses a and b described above.

Device a was driven at 1.8 × 10 ⁴ pulses per nozzle for one scan for front recording, while device b was driven at 4.0 × 10 ³ pulses per nozzle for one scan for front recording. As a result of the recording, the frequency of occurrence of fire discharge and the average length of fire discharge were examined. In addition, after fixing the printing through steam treatment (104 ℃, 10 minutes), washed with a natural detergent and dried. Next, the unevenness | corrosion degree of the obtained coloring matter was evaluated. Moreover, the head orifice surface after printing was observed. These results are shown in FIG.

In the figure, the average length of fire discharge denoted by * 1 can be obtained according to Σ1 / n (cm), where 1 is the length of fire discharge and n is the number of fire discharges.

In the figure, a blot item labeled * 2 was obtained by visually observing and measuring an irregular disorder condition occurring in the linear portion of the edge of the three-dimensional portion. The marks as indicated in the blot also indicate that ○ is not disordered, △ is slightly disordered, and x is disordered a lot.

The head orifice face item indicated by * 3 in the figure was obtained by observing the discharge capacity and the head orifice face. Symbols as indicated on the head orifice side have no ink droplets attached to this orifice side, and a small ink droplet is attached to the orifice side without any problem. It means that a lot of ink droplets are attached to the orifice surface, resulting in a difficult ejection.

As a result of recording, since stable ejection was achieved by performing complete coloring printing using the above-mentioned inks A to D and I and J, it is possible to obtain a coloring having excellent color and no spot.

In the ink jet printing having a long printing length, the above-described bar and knife can achieve stable ejection without causing fire ejection by using the printing method of the present invention, and can obtain a high concentration of colored material without staining.

While the fabric printing apparatus using the ink jet system is illustrated in this embodiment, it will be understood that the present invention can be embodied in various printing systems as well as the ink jet system. When an ink jet system is adopted, the present invention generates thermal energy (e.g., an electro-thermal converter or a laser beam) as energy for use in ejecting ink, among other ink jet printing systems, and this heat is generated. Energy has an excellent effect on the printing head or printing device of a system having a means of causing a phase change in the ink. By such a system, high concentration and high precision printing can be obtained.

Its representative configuration and principle have already been described in Examples 1 and 2. It will also be appreciated that various types of heads, ink tanks, and recovery means that can be employed in the ink jet system can also be applied to Examples 1 and 2.

[Example 4]

Now, a fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 17 is a perspective view showing the configuration of an essential part (ink jet printing unit 1701) of the ink jet recording apparatus in the embodiment of the present invention.

The ink jet printing unit 1701 performs printing on the elongated fabric 1716, and is largely attached to the frame 1706, the electrical system 1705 attached to the frame 1076, and the frame 1706. Two guide rails 1707 and 1708, a head holder 1709 for storing ink jet heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ described later, and a head carriage 1710 for installing the head holder 1709. And an ink supply device 1711 for supplying ink to each ink jet recording head, and an ink carriage 1712 for providing the ink supply device 1711. In addition, an ink supply pipe 1715 for supplying ink to each recording head from the ink supply device 1711 is provided.

The guide rails 1707 and 1708 are parallel to each other and extend in the width direction of the fabric 1716. The head carriage 1710 and ink carriage 1712 serve to freely move along the length of the guide rails 1707, 1708, ie across the entire width in the transverse direction of the fabric 1716, not shown. Ink tank and ink pump. An ink tank is provided for each recording head as described later. Generally, ink is supplied from the ink tank to the recording head via the ink supply pipe 1715 by capillary action by an amount equal to the amount ejected from the head. In the suction recovery operation of the recording head, ink is forcibly supplied to the recording head using an ink pump in the ink supply device 1711.

Next, the ink jet recording head accommodated inside the head holder 1709 will be described. 18 is a view of the head holder 1709 when viewed from the side of the fabric 1716.

The head holder 1709 houses a total of eight recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ .

Each recording head (221 ₁ to 221 ₈₎ are arranged along the same straight line parallel to the feed direction of the fabric 1716 has a plurality of nozzles for ink ejection opposite to the fabric (1716). Here, a set of nozzles for each of the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₅ will be referred to as a nozzle row (a co1umn of nozz1es). In FIG. 18, eight nozzle rows are shown for each of the eight recording heads 221 ₁ to _{22 1} 8. Further, each recording head (221 ₁ to 221 ₈₎ has a conversion element for converting an input electrical signal into ink discharge energy, each conversion element corresponds to each of the printing elements (nozzles). Thus, ink is selectively discharged from the nozzle row in accordance with an image signal from an image processing unit (not shown).

This recording-head is preferably a head for ejecting ink using thermal energy, which causes a phase change in the ink due to the thermal energy applied to the ink and heats the ink to eject the ink through the nozzle based on the phase change. It includes an electric-to-heat converter for applying energy.

The arrangement of the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ in the head holder 1709 will be described below. Eight recording heads (221 ₁ to 221 ₈₎ are arranged in a row in the scanning direction, that is width direction of the fabric 1716 of the head carriage (1710). Here, the first recording head ₍₁ 221), the second recording head (221 ₂₎ ‥ eighth recording head (221 ₈₎ are arranged in this order from the opposite side of the home position side.

Of the eight recording heads, the first to fourth four recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₄ use standard color inks (four colors of blue, magenta, yellow, and black) for recording. The first recording head 221 ₁ corresponds to blue ink, the second recording head 221 ₂ is to magenta ink, the third recording head 221 ₃ to yellow ink, and the fourth recording head 221 ₄ . Respectively correspond to black ink. The fifth and sixth recording heads 221 ₅ and 221 ₆ use special color inks for image formation, and the seventh and eighth recording heads 221 ₇ and 221 ₈ use enlarged color inks for image formation. do. Enlarged color inks are inks, for example light color inks, for use in improving the quality of an image as compared to special color inks. Light color inks are obtained by reducing the concentration of the dye, for example by selecting the required ink dye among the inks of standard and special colors.

Next, a description will be given of the control system for each recording head (221 ₁ to 221 _8).

As shown in FIG. 19, the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ are classified into groups of standard collars, special collars, and enlargement collars, and are driven by head drivers 222 ₁ to _{22 2 3} for each group. . The head driver 222 ₁ for the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₄ of the standard color group is controlled by the standard color image signal processing unit 223, and for the recording heads 221 ₅ and 221 ₆ of the special color group. head driver (222 ₂₎ comprises a head actuator (222 ₃₎ is an enlarged color image signal processing section 225 for the special color image signal processing unit 224 is controlled by the recording head in the expanded color group (221 _7, 221 ₈₎ Controlled by

The operation of such an ink jet recording apparatus will be described below.

First, the fabric 1716 is held under a platen, not shown, and then the fabric is mounted on the ink jet recording unit 1701 such that a predetermined recording start position on the fabric 1716 faces the head holder 1709. Let's do it. Then, the head carriage 1710 is scanned in one direction (this direction) in the direction indicated by the arrow C so that each recording head _{22 1} to _{22 8} discharges ink in accordance with the recording signal during scanning. An image is formed in the strip-shaped area. Next, the head carriage 1710 is moved in the return direction to return the head carriage 1710 to a position against the head recovery device 1713 which performs a recovery operation for each of the recording heads 221 ₁ to _{22 1 8} . And then the fabric 1716 is moved one step (one recording width or nozzle row length of the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ ) in the direction shown by the arrow B by the platen, and the head carriage in the same manner as above. 1710 is scanned reciprocally. By repeating the above operation, an image is completely formed on the fabric 1716.

After the ink jet recording process on the fabric is finished, the fabric 1716 is naturally or forcibly dried, and then the dye is diffused on the fabric of the fabric, whereby a reactive fixation treatment process is performed for the fixation of the dye onto the fabric. do. By adding this step, sufficient coloring and fixation can be obtained. After this, the fabric is washed as needed. The diffusion and reactive fixation processes may be conventionally known methods, for example steam methods. When the steam method is used, it is necessary to pre-alkali the fabric 1716 before performing ink jet recording.

In the ink jet recording apparatus of this embodiment, eight recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ are provided, but not all eight heads are used depending on the image content or image quality to be obtained. For example, it is also possible that only four recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₄ of standard color are used. In this case, the four recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 _{4 used} are successively received as a group inside the head holder 1709, and thus only these four recordings in the scan by the head carriage 1710 are used. Only in view of the heads 221 ₁ to 2221 ₄ , the scanning width (the amount of movement of the head carriage 1710) can be determined. That is, when all of the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ are used, the movement amount of the head carriage 1710 is substantially the same as the sum of the width of the head carriage 1710 and the width of the fabric 1716, but only a standard color is used. The amount of movement can be reduced by an amount corresponding to four recording heads. Further, the recovery operation or the cleaning operation by the blade 1731 can be handled only by the recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₄ of standard collars.

If the mode for recording in standard color only is full-color mode, the mode for recording in standard color and special color is fine color mode, and the mode for recording in standard color, special color and enlarged color is ultra fine color mode. The range of cleaning by the blades 1731 is indicated by both arrows in FIG. 20, respectively. 21A and 21B show the ink jet recording unit 1701 as viewed from above, and show the movement range of the head holder 1709 with the movement of the head carriage 1710. In the full color mode, the center portion of the head holder 1709 is located at the end portion of the fabric 1716 when the scans overlap (return) as shown in FIG. 21A. On the other hand, in the ultra fine color mode, the entire head holder 1709 is positioned substantially off the end of the fabric 1716.

In this way, by limiting the range of the recording head which performs the recovery operation as necessary, the scanning time for allowing the recording speed to be substantially improved in the full color mode is shorter. In addition, since no recovery operation or cleaning operation is performed on the unused recording heads, the unused recording heads are not subjected to friction action by the blades or do not discharge uselessly, which extends the life of the recording heads. give.

Further, in the apparatus of this embodiment, eight recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₈ are classified into a standard color group, a special color group, and an enlarged color group. For each group, the frequency of use of the recording head in the group is substantially the same over a long period, and the life and replacement frequency of the recording head are seen to be almost the same in each group. Thus, each group is formed as one unit, and therefore, each of the units 227 ₁ to 227 ₈ can be removed and replaced as indicated by the arrows in FIG. 22, so that the replacement operation of the recording head can be facilitated. have. In addition, expansion of the recording head is also allowed.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 19, the color image processing system is divided into a standard color, a special color, and an enlarged color, and the image signal processing system can be unified and simplified. Due to this unification, the extension to the use of more color inks can be facilitated.

Next, recording on the fabric by the ink jet recording apparatus will be described with reference to the results actually performed.

The recording head has a thermal energy converter that generates thermal energy applied to the ink. The shape of the nozzle is a rectangle of 22 mu m x 33 mu m, and 256 nozzles per recording head are arranged at a concentration of 400 (i.e. 400 dpi) per inch. Ink was ejected onto the fabric at an average ejection amount of 45 pl per nozzle to perform recording. In this case, full-color recording was performed using recording heads for standard and special colors, that is, six recording heads 221 ₁ to 221 ₆ . The composition of the ink used for each printing head (221 ₁ to 221 ₆₎ are as shown in Table 1. The fabric 1716 used was also made of a cotton fabric (rowon) plain-woven raw yarn having an average diameter of 200 μm.

Thus, recording in full color mode and fine color mode can be performed as desired. By doing this, a higher recording speed can be satisfied while maintaining high image quality in fine color mode when high quality recording is required or in full color mode when the recording quality is not very high.

The present invention is also effective when inks of various concentrations are used. Here, in addition to the standard color (four colors) and the special color (two colors), two enlarged colors of bright colors were used to improve the reproducibility and granularity of the midtones. Here, the blue light color ink having a dye concentration of about one-half (Table 1, No. 1) and black (number 4 in Table 1) was applied to the recording head (221 _7, 221 _8). In addition to the full color mode and the fine color mode, recording could be performed as desired in the ultra fine mode.

The present invention has a particularly good effect in a recording head or recording apparatus of an ink jet system for recording by forming droplets using thermal energy among various ink jet recording systems.

Its representative configuration and principle are as already described in the previous embodiments. It will also be appreciated that various types of heads, ink tanks and recovery means that can be employed in the ink jet recording system can be applied as in the previous embodiments.

Further, when the present invention is implemented as an ink jet textile printing apparatus, the fabric for textile printing, pretreatment and post treatment processes for the textiles can be the same as those described in the third embodiment.

As described above, the present invention has a plurality of recording heads supported by the head holding means, and over the defects at a sufficient speed in such a manner as to select a recording head used for recording according to the recording mode among the plurality of recording heads. It has the effect of recording an excellent ink jet recording image with color reproducibility, and the selected recording heads are arranged side by side in succession. In addition, the present invention extends the life of the recording head, unifies the electrographic processing system, reduces the production cost and the unit cost, unifies each recording head selected according to the recording mode, and improves the replaceability of the head. It has an effect.

Other Examples

The present invention has been described by exemplifying a textile printing apparatus using an ink jet recording system in the embodiments.

Inkjet fabric printing fabrics need to have the following characteristics:

(1) Ink coloring at sufficient concentration

(2) high dyeing rate of ink

(3) Rapid drying of ink on fabric

(4) less irregular irregularities of ink on fabric

(5) Excellent carrying capacity in the device

In order to meet these requirements, the present invention may pretreat the fabrics as needed. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 62-53492 discloses several kinds of fabrics having an ink receiving layer, and Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. Hei 3-46589 discloses a reducing inhibitor or an alkali substance. Fabrics containing are proposed. Examples of such pretreatment include treating the fabric to include materials selected from alkaline materials, water soluble polymers, synthetic polymers, water soluble metal salts, urea and thiourea.

Fabric materials included in the pretreatment are preferably those as described in the third embodiment.

The method of pretreating the fabric to contain the above materials is not particularly limited and can generally be dipping, pad, coating and spraying methods.

In addition, since the textile printing ink applied to the ink jet textile printing fabric adheres to the fabric only in the state where the ink is jet-jetted, the fixing process for fixing the coloring matter of the ink, for example, the pigment onto the fiber is continuously performed. It is preferable to carry out. Such fixing processes are conventionally known methods, such as the dusting method, the HT steam method, or the passion deposition method, and the alkali pad steam method, the alkali bleach steam method, the alkali shock, unless an alkali pretreated fabric is used. A method and an alkali cooling fixing method can also be used. In addition, the fixing process may or may not include a reaction process that depends on the pigment, and the latter example involves the use of a fabric impregnated with a dye that is not physically separated. In addition, any ink may be used as long as it has a desired coloration, where the ink may include pigments as well as dyes.

In addition, the removal of unreacted dyes and substances used in the pretreatment may be carried out by washing according to a conventionally known method after the reactive fixing process.

The printing material subjected to the post-treatment process as described above is cut to the desired size, and then the cut pieces are subjected to a process for providing the final product such as stitching, bonding and gluing, such as one-piece dress, dress, tie or swimsuit, Clothing is provided such as bed covers, sofa covers, handkerchiefs and curtains. The method of processing the fabric by stitching to provide clothing or other everyday items may be known in the art.

Examples of printing media include fabrics, wall fabrics, embroidery threads, wallpaper, paper and OHP films, and the fabrics may include all woven or nonwoven fibers and other fabrics regardless of the material and method of weaving or knitting.

Also, the ink jet fabric printing apparatus as shown in the first, second and fourth embodiments can be combined with the ink jet printing method of the third embodiment, and this combination can provide further effects.

The present invention has a plurality of recording heads supported by the head holding means and has a wide color reproducibility without defects at a sufficient speed in such a manner as to select a recording head used for recording according to the recording mode among the plurality of recording heads. An excellent ink jet recording image is recorded, and the selected recording heads are arranged side by side in succession. In addition, the present invention extends the life of the recording head, unifies the electric image processing system, reduces the production cost and the unit cost, unifies each selected recording head according to the recording mode, and improves the replaceability of the head. Let it be.

Claims (33)

A carriage 24 on which a plurality of printing heads Bk, C, M, Y, S1, S2, S3, and S4 can be installed, and a carriage to which the plurality of printing heads can be installed. 24) and scanning means 111 for scanning the carriage with respect to the printing medium to form an image by the plurality of printing heads, the image output device comprising: among the plurality of printing heads provided on the carriage; And scanning range changing means (102) for changing the scanning range of said scanning means in accordance with a printing head used to form an image. The data storage device according to claim 1, further comprising: storage means 509 for storing converted data indicative of a printing color and provided in correspondence with each of the plurality of printing heads, and conversion data changing means for changing the converted data stored in the storage means ( 102). An image output apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. 3. An image output apparatus according to claim 2, wherein said conversion data changing means (102) is arranged to change said converted data stored in said storage means in accordance with a printing head provided on said carriage. 4. The conversion data changing means (102) according to claim 3, wherein said conversion data changing means (102) is stored in said storage means in accordance with the number of printing collars corresponding to a plurality of printing heads provided on said carriage and / or the number of printing heads provided on said carriage. And an image output device arranged to change the converted data. 5. The printing apparatus according to claim 2, 3 or 4, wherein the scanning range changing means 102 and / or the conversion data changing means 102 correspond to a plurality of printing heads provided on the carriage 24. And the scanning range and / or the conversion data according to the color, the number of the printing heads provided on the carriage, and the position of the printing heads provided on the carriage. 5. The printing heads according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the printing heads Bk, C, M, Y, S1 to S4 discharge an ink onto the printing medium to print an image on the printing medium. And an image output device arranged to form. 8. The printing head (5) according to claim 6, further comprising recovery means (53) for maintaining the ejected state of the ink excellently, and printing heads (S1, S2, S3, S4, Bk, C, M) provided on the carriage (24). Y is movable by the scanning means from a scanning range of the carriage to a position opposite the recovery means, and the scanning range changing means 102 is arranged to change the scanning range of the carriage with respect to the recovery means. An image output apparatus, characterized in that. 7. The image output apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the printing head has a plurality of ejecting means for ejecting ink, the plurality of ejecting means being arranged to eject ink in accordance with a corresponding drive signal applied to each. 10. The driving method according to claim 8, wherein at least one of the plurality of ejection means included in the printing head applies 5 × 10 ³ or more drive signals during one scan of the carriage 24 by the scanning means 111 in a predetermined direction. Ink can be discharged, the ink contains 2 to 30 parts by weight of dyes of all the inks, the viscosity of the ink is 1.5 cP to 4 cP, and the surface tension of the ink is 35 dyn / cm to 65 dyn / cm The image output device characterized by the above-mentioned. 10. An image output apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the ink has a viscosity of 2.0 cP to 3.8 cP. 10. An image output apparatus according to claim 9, wherein the surface tension of the ink is 35 dyn / cm to 60 dyn / cm. The image output apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the drive signal is in the form of a pulse. 5. The carriage 24 according to claim 1, 2, 3 or 4, wherein the carriage 24 has a plurality of standard collar printing heads Bk, C, M, Y for printing in a standard collar and in a special collar. A plurality of special color printing heads (S1, S2, S3, S4) are provided. The image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the standard color is four colors of blue, magenta, yellow, and black. 14. An image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the carriage (24) is provided with four printing heads (S1, S2, S3, S4) for special colors. 14. An image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one of the special color printing heads (S1, S2, S3, S4) can be printed with any of the standard colors. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of standard color printing heads (Bk, C, M, Y) and the plurality of special color printing heads (S1, S2, S3, S4) are not alternating with standard color printing and special color printing. And an image output device, wherein the image output device is installed on the carriage. The image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the plurality of printing heads (Bk, C, M, Y, S1, S2, S3, S4) are provided so that the printing order of the corresponding colors is not changed. The image output apparatus according to claim 13, wherein the carriage (24) is provided with a plurality of printing heads corresponding to a predetermined printing color. 20. The image output apparatus according to claim 19, wherein the plurality of printing heads corresponding to the predetermined printing collar are provided side by side on the carriage. 8. An image output apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said recovery means is cleaning means for cleaning a surface on which a discharge orifice of a recording head is formed. A plurality of printing heads Bk, C, M, Y, S1, S2, S3, S4 for printing a corresponding color on a recording medium; a carriage 24 for installing the plurality of printing heads; An image processing unit 102 for converting image data into driving data for driving the printing head in correspondence with the printing head, and head driving means 107 for driving the plurality of printing heads in accordance with the driving data to form an image. An image forming apparatus, wherein the image processing unit is arranged to change a process of converting image data into driving data according to the type and number of the heads to be used for recording among the plurality of printing heads. Device. The input image according to claim 22, wherein the image processing unit (102) uses the converted data according to the type and number of the printing heads (C, M, Y, Bk, S1, S2, S3, S4) to be used for recording. And converting data into driving data for the plurality of printing heads. An image forming apparatus according to claim 23, wherein said image processing unit (102) is arranged to change conversion data according to the type and number of said printing heads to be used for recording. The printing according to claim 23 or 24, wherein the image processing unit 102 corresponds to a plurality of printing heads Bk, C, M, Y, S1, S2, S3, S4 provided on the carriage 24. And converting the conversion data according to the color, the number of the printing heads provided on the carriage, and the position of the printing heads provided on the carriage. 25. A printing device according to claim 22, 23 or 24, wherein each of the printing heads C, M, Y, Bk, S1, S2, S3, S4 is arranged to form an image by ejecting ink onto a recording medium. An image forming apparatus, characterized in that. 27. The printing element of claim 26, wherein each of the printing heads C, M, Y, Bk, S1, S2, S3, S4 comprises an electro-thermal conversion member for applying thermal energy to the ink to eject the ink. An image forming apparatus. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, 23 or 24, further comprising means (15, 25) for fixing ink on a recording medium. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, 23 or 24, wherein the recording medium comprises cloth. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, 23 or 24, wherein the recording medium comprises a wallpaper. An image forming apparatus according to claim 22, 23 or 24, further comprising a head detecting means (107) for detecting a printing head installed on said carriage. 32. An image forming apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said head detecting means (107) is arranged to detect the presence or absence of a printing head installed on said carriage. 32. An image forming apparatus according to claim 31, wherein said head holding means (107) is arranged to sense the presence or absence of a printing head provided on said carriage and a printing color corresponding to the printing head provided on said carriage.